Manufacture of tapered tubes of celluloid and the like



April 18, 1933. s. A. NEIDICH 1,904,290

MANUFACTURE OF TAPERED TUBES OF CELLULOID AND THE LIKE Original Filed Jan. 18, 1929 Patented Apr. 18, I933 MTEF YST T S PATENT OFFICE sAiunEL'A. NEIDICI-I, or nnenwarnn PARK, NEWJERSEY,

MANUFACTURE OF .TAIPERED TUBES F CELLULQI D AND THE LIKE Original application filed January 18, 1929, Serial No. 333,353. Divided and this application filed April 17, 1930. Serial No. 444,951.

This is a division of my original application Serial No. 333,353 filed January 18,

v 1929, for Letters Patent of the United States for improvement in the manufacture of tapered tubes of celluloidand the like.

My invention may be employed with particular advantage in the manufacture of the bodies of fountain pens from celluloid and the like products of cellulose, for instance,

cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, or any suitable substance. It is the general practice toprovide such a body with a screw thread at the end in which the pen point is fitted and to taper the other end so that it may be slip fitted in a removable cap for said body which is provided with an internal screw thread for engagement with the thread on said body; the purpose of the taper being to permit such cap to be slip fitted upon such tapered end of the body without marring the internal screw thread in the cap. It is the ordinary practice to form such bodies from a rod of uniform diameter which is bored cylindrically and then ground ofl' circumferentially at one end to the desired taper,

or to form a tube of uniform thickness thruout its length, with a cylindrical'bore, and to grind off the outer portion thereof at one end to the desired taper. In either case; the

3- wall of the body is progressively thinner at its tapered portion than at its portion which has not been ground off and, as the strength of the tube is no greater than that of its thinnest portion, the thicker portions represent not only a waste of the material but a waste of space, which might'be more economically utilized in the storage of ink.

If such tubes be formed of fancy celluloid,

the aforesaid waste of material is a highly 40 important factor in the general cost of production of the fountain pens, for such fancy material costs as much as $2.50 per commercial sheet. 20 50" and .01" thick.

Therefore, it is the purpose and effect of my invention to avoid the waste of material and space characteristic of the prior art by forming a tube of celluloid and the like,

preferably by rolling such a thin sheet upon a mandrel until the tube is of the minimum 9 thickness required and, thereafter, tapering said tube at one end by deforming the tube. As hereinafter described, my improved tube may be primarily formed of the largest diameter required and be deformed by softening and compressing-it to produce the smaller tapered end portion required. However, I do not desire to limit myself to the initial formation of the tube from a rolled sheet, as my invention may be utilized in the production of tapered tubes from primarily cylindrical tubes regardless of the manner inwhich the latter are produced. Forv instance, they may be bored from solid rods, as above contemplated, or be extruded or molded. I I

My invention includes the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specified.

, In said drawing; Fig. I is a longitudinal sectional view of a fountain pen tube made in accordance with my invention,

Fig. II is a longitudinal sectional View of a thin tube in accordance with my invention, primarily ofthe largest diameter required. for the body shown in Fig. I. r

Fig. III is a sectional View of tube tapering die means with an elevation of a'frag-=,

ment of the tube indicated in Fig. II at the beginning of the tapering operation thereon.

Referring to Fig. I; my improved tube 1'1 has the wall 2 of uniform thickness thruout its length and of the thickness deemed desirable at the region 3 at the inner end of the plug 5; thus saving a considerable portion ofthe material and affording a larger ink chamber 6 than theaforesaid tubes of prior art. I

7 Such fountain pen bodies as indicated in Fig. I may be formed, in accordance with my invention, in any convenient way. For in; l stance, as indicated in Figs.- II and III, a

tube 7 of the thickness indicated at 3 in Fig.

. I and the largest diameter required for the body shown in that figure, is formed as a cylinder of uniform diameter thruout its'length.

As above noted, such a tubeis preferably formed by rolling a thin sheet'o-f celluloid or the like with its convolutions moistened with a solvent and in contact, so that such convolutions merge and form a wall which the is homogeneous thruout its length. Such a solvent may be acetone for said celluloid and nitrate, and ethyl acetate, or a mixture of alcohol and ether, for said cellulose acetate. However, as above noted, such a tube may be formed by drilling a solid rod or by extruding or molding celluloid or the like in a plastic state.

The tube shown in Fig. II may be softened by heating it, or by subjecting it to the action of a suitable solvent, for instance, if it is celluloid, it may be dipped in a liquid bath including acetone; to the extent of the region thereof which is to be deformed; for instance, the region 8, indicated in Fig. II. The softened portion of said tube 7 may be then compressed in the die means shown in Fig. III, conveniently between two oppositely counterpart die members 9, either by thrusting said tube axially, as indicated by the arrow in said figure, or by thrusting said die members toward each other, or by thus relatively moving both the tube and the die means. The primarily cylindrical tube 7 being thus deformed to the shape shown at 1 in Fig. I, may be permitted to set in its tapered form and is provided with the plug 5 to close the end of the ink chamber 6; the contiguous surfaces of the tube and plug being conveniently softened, as aforesaid, before the insertion of the plug.

Altho I have illustrated my invention with reference to a tube designed to afford a fountain pen ink chamber; it is obvious that tubes such as shown in Fig. I may be used for other puposes either with or without plugged en s.

Therefore, I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications may be made therein, without departing from the essential features of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of making a tapered tube of celluloid and the like, open at both ends, which includes moistening a sheet of such material with a solvent thereof; rolling such sheet to a cylindrical tubular form of uniform diameter and thickness of wall; distorting an end portion of the cylindrical wall of said tube to conical form, by constricting it, while it is in a softened state, but without increasing the length of said primarily formed tube; whereby the thickness of the wall of said conical portion is increased by said constricting operation.

2. The method of making a tapered tube of celluloid and the like, which includes moistening a sheet of such material with a solvent thereof; rolling such sheet to a cylindrical tubular form of uniform diameter and thickness of wall; distorting an end portion of the cylindrical wall of said tube to conical 

